Zurab Tsiskaridze
Tsiskaridze with Amkar Perm in 2011
Personal information
Full name Zurab Tsiskaridze Jr.
Date of birth (1986-09-08) 8 September 1986
Place of birth Tbilisi, Georgian SSR
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
Agrykola Warszawa[1]
2000–2003 Legia Warsaw
2004 Inter de Limeira
2005–2006 Barueri
2007–2008 Sète 34
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008 Sète 34 7 (0)
2009 Miami FC 17 (1)
2010 Vancouver Whitecaps 27 (0)
2011 Montreal Impact 10 (0)
2011–2012 Amkar Perm 3 (0)
2012–2014 Jönköpings Södra 31 (1)
2014–2015 Bangkok Glass 4 (0)
2015 San Antonio Scorpions 17 (1)
2016–2017 FK Teplice 11 (0)
2017–2019 Eskilstuna 48 (1)
2019 Al-Hazem 13 (1)
2019–2020 Al-Jabalain 21 (1)
2020 RoPS 15 (1)
2021 Vasalund 12 (1)
2022–2023 Åtvidaberg 3 (0)
2023 Husqvarna FF
International career
2016 Georgia 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Zurab Tsiskaridze[2] (Georgian: ზურაბ ცისკარიძე; born 8 September 1986)[3] is a Georgian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.[4]

Early life

Tsiskaridze was born in the Georgian SSR prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.[5] During early childhood, he moved to Poland where he lived for 10 years in the city of Warsaw with his family. Later on he moved around the globe pursuing his professional career.

Career

Youth

He began his career 2004 in Brazil with the U-20 team with Limeira based club Associação Atlética Internacional and played then the first six months in 2005 with the U-20 side of Grêmio Recreativo Barueri.[6] He earned himself a tryout with D.C. United before his senior year of high school, but was not offered a contract by the team, who advised him to play college soccer. Instead, Tsiskaridze left school to pursue a professional soccer career, travelling to Brazil and France, among other countries.[5]

Professional

Tsiskaridze spent time with the Kansas City Wizards reserves in 2007,[7] but when offered the minimum salary contract, he decided to pursue his dream of playing in Europe. He spent eighteen months with the reserve and first team of FC Sète, and in 2008 played seven games in the French third division Championnat National.[3]

Tsiskaridze was signed by USL First Division side Miami FC in April 2009, after impressing Zinho and the coaching staff during an open tryout. Tsiskaridze had traveled all the way from France for the event.[2][8] He played 18 games and scored one goal for Miami in his first season in the league.[9] On 2 December 2009, he signed a one-year contract with Vancouver Whitecaps.[10]

On 19 October 2010, the Vancouver Whitecaps released Tsiskaridze, along with five fellow players, citing their need to purge certain players in preparation for their upcoming promotion to Major League Soccer.[11]

On 17 February 2011, he signed a new contract with Montreal Impact for the last season of the club in NASL, before the entry of the Impact in the MLS in 2012.[12] After spending a season in the Russian Premier League he signed a short-term contract with Swedish Superettan club Jönköpings Södra IF in the summer of 2012.[13] At the end of the season he extended his contract for one more year.[14]

Personal life

He speaks 7 languages, and ironically, Georgian isn't one of them, as he barely speaks it. He speaks Russian, which he learnt from his stepdad; Polish; English; Portuguese; Spanish; Czech; and French.[15]

His mother was a ballerina, while his father was an opera singer. He is relatives with the ballet dancer Nikolay Tsiskaridze.[15]

During the perestroika, he moved to Poland with his mum and stepdad, while his biological father moved to the United States. Later, he moved to live with his biological father, and graduated school in American.[15]

Career stats

Team Season League Domestic
League		 Domestic
Playoffs		 Domestic
Cup1		 Concacaf
Competition2		 Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Miami FC 2009 USL-1 18 1 0 - - - - - - - - - 18 1 0
Vancouver Whitecaps 2010 USSF D2 26 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 0 - - - 31 0 1
Montreal Impact 2011 NASL 10 0 1 - - - 2 0 0 - - - 12 0 1
Total NASL5412100600–––5712

References

  1. ↑ "Niezwykłe losy gruzińskiego piłkarza, wychowanka Agrykoli Warszawa". eurosport.onet.pl (in Polish). 4 July 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Miami FC announces latest roster moves". MiamiFC.com. 13 April 2009. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009. Zourab 'Zee' Tsiskaridze
  3. 1 2 "Zourab Tsiskaridze". WhitecapsFC.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2009.
  4. ↑ "Rutinerad försvarare klar för AFC Eskilstuna". afc-eskilstuna.myclub.se (in Swedish).
  5. 1 2 "Miami FC's Zourab Tsiskaridze Jr.'s journey full of twists and turns". MiamiHerald.com.
  6. ↑ "Whitecaps Add Defender Zourab Tsiskaridze". teamradio.ca.
  7. ↑ "Win, draw in split-squad scrimmages". kc.wizards.mlsnet.com.
  8. ↑ "Miami FC sets its roster". AmericanChronicle.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
  9. ↑ "Meet 'Caps defender Zourab Tsiskaridze". WhitecapsFC.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2010.
  10. ↑ "Whitecaps add Zourab Tsiskaridze". WhitecapsFC.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2009.
  11. ↑ "Vancouver Whitecaps release six players as franchise clears room for MLS-worthy talent". VancouverSun.com.
  12. ↑ "Tsiskaridze and Kreamalmeyer Join Impact". OurSportsCentral.com. 17 February 2011.
  13. ↑ "Tsiskaridze klar för J-Södra och Corea är spelklar". j-sodra.se (in Swedish).
  14. ↑ "Christer och Zourab klara för J-Södra". j-sodra.se (in Swedish).
  15. 1 2 3 "Поговорили с нетипичным футболистом: знает 7 языков, критикует русских игроков за раздутое эго, ненавидит политиков, ел стрекозу".
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